News

MEPs have adopted a resolution officially laying down the European Parliament’s key principles and conditions for its approval of the UK's withdrawal agreement. Any such agreement at the end of UK-EU negotiations will need to win the approval of the European Parliament. Learn more.

MEPs oppose EU Commission plans to authorise imports of food and feed products derived from or containing a herbicide and pest-resistant genetically modified (GM) maize. It highlights the lack of data on the many sub-combinations of the variety - all of which would also be authorised - and reiterates Parliament’s call for a reform of the EU’s GMO authorisation procedure. Learn more.

European Parliament adopted a resolution on women and their roles in rural areas. Text of the resolution is available here.

To encourage ways of boosting rural development, the European Commission has launched a call for tender for a pilot project on smart eco-social villages. Open for submissions until 17 May 2017, the aim of this pilot project is to find concrete examples and best practices to overcome challenges facing rural areas such as unemployment, insufficient services and depopulation. Learn more.

In the European Union in 2015, there were 2.4 million holdings cultivating 3.2 million hectares of vineyards. The average area per holding was 1.3 ha, however with significant differences between Member States. 2.5 million hectares (78%) of vineyards were dedicated to the production of grapes for quality wine. Learn more.